1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink supply devices in which a controller is configured to determine a type of an ink cartridge based on a detector detecting a portion of the ink cartridge configured to be mounted to a cartridge mounting portion, and to a method of determining a type of an ink cartridge.
2. Description of Related Art
In a known inkjet recording apparatus such as an apparatus described in JP-A-2005-288866, an ink cartridge is positioned in the apparatus at a position outside a carriage on which the recording head is mounted, and the ink cartridge and the recording head are in fluid combination via a tube. The ink cartridge is configured to be removably mounted to a cartridge mounting portion by being inserted thereinto in a horizontal direction from the front side of the apparatus. When the ink cartridge is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion, an ink supply path from the ink cartridge to the recording head via the cartridge mounting portion is formed. Ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head through this ink supply path.
In another known inkjet recording apparatus such as an apparatus described in JP-2008-246999, detectors such as optical detectors are provided in the cartridge mounting portion for determining the type of the ink cartridge, e.g., determining the color or initial amount of ink stored in the ink cartridge. The ink cartridge has detection target portions positioned corresponding to the detectors, for determining the color or initial amount of ink. When the ink cartridge is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion and the detection target portions are detected by the detectors, signals are output from the detectors, and a controller of the apparatus performs a process of determining the type of the ink cartridge based on the signals. In this apparatus, the type of the ink cartridge is determined among two types. More specifically, the type of the ink cartridge is determined based on whether the level of the output signal of an optical detector detecting a detection target portion is greater than or equal to a predetermined value at a time at which another detector begins to detect another detection target portion.